alcoholic mixed drink
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Cocktail
Cocktail - Wikipedia
August 28, 2025 - A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely across regions of the world, and many websites publish both ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/cocktails › cocktails vs. mixed drinks: what's the difference?
r/cocktails on Reddit: Cocktails vs. Mixed Drinks: What's the Difference?
February 15, 2015 -
I'm a cocktail beginner but I've been considering this question for about a week In my opinion there is no "right" answer and it's subjective to each person, but I need to ask the question.
I've heard some use criteria like:
number of ingredients
types of ingredients
effort required
cost
What do you think?
Top answer 1 of 5
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Tl:dr All cocktails are mixed drinks, not all mixed drinks are cocktails. The first use of the word "cocktail" was in a newspaper article around 1806. The author used the word in reference to a specific drink he had containing whiskey, sugar and bitters. It caught on and evolved to refer to any spirit mixed with bitters and sugar. An old fashioned is a prime example of a true cocktail. The word cocktail has continued to evolve over the last two hundred+ years and nowadays is fairly synonymous with the term mixed drink. Most people don't know or care to make a distinction. I do. A cocktail is a specific formula. Sugar, bitters, spirit. A mixed drink is any beverage, alcoholic or not, that contains more than one ingredient. By this definition a martini is a mixed drink, not a cocktail. The word cocktail has been abused throughout the years, but it has also shown the world a beautiful kind of magic. What would the world be like without cocktails? All the credit should go to that first mixed drink. "The" cocktail. That one recipe, which would eventually become the old fashioned simply to protect its existence as the masses continue to bastardize the word. That one recipe that has fathered all recipes. But like most dads he never takes the credit he deserves. I respect that. I wish more people did. I may or may not have a sore spot about it.
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A mixologist makes mixed drinks, a cocktologist makes cocktails.
Videos
05:56
What is Cocktail and Mocktail // Cocktail vs mocktail // f&b service ...
Do you know the difference between cocktails and Mocktails ...
08:06
The John McClane, BUT is it a Christmas🎄Cocktail? - YouTube
17:24
42 Cocktail Types Explained 🍸 The Ultimate Guide to Cocktail ...
cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, a cocktail ...
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What Is Cocktail?: 17 Mixes of the Cocktail Definition
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What Is Cocktail?: 17 Mixes of the Cocktail Definition
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What Is Cocktail?: 17 Mixes of the Cocktail Definition
Mingle Mocktails
minglemocktails.com › home › blog › the difference between cocktails and mocktails: bartending tips for non-alcohol drinks
Cocktails vs. Mocktails: Here's the Difference | Mingle
December 13, 2024 - Cocktails are made with spirits, while mocktails are non-alcoholic and only contain mixers and flavoring ingredients. Cocktails can be made with various spirits, like vodka, gin, rum, or whiskey.
Crimson Cocktail
crimsoncocktail.com › home › bartending & mixology › are all cocktails alcoholic? does your dirnk need booze to be a cocktail?
Are All Cocktails Alcoholic? Does Your Dirnk Need Booze to Be a Cocktail? | Crimson Cocktail
Not all cocktails are alcoholic! In fact, there’s an entire world of sophisticated, carefully crafted beverages that deliver all the complexity and presentation of traditional cocktails—minus the alcohol.
Published January 19, 2025
CROSSIP
crossipdrinks.com › blogs › news › difference-between-cocktail-and-mocktail
Difference Between Cocktail and Mocktail & Why it’s Important
December 28, 2021 - A beverage where taste, appearance, ... The most talked-about difference between a cocktail and a mocktail is that the latter does not contain alcohol....
Binwise
home.binwise.com › blog › what-is-cocktail
What Is Cocktail?: 17 Mixes of the Cocktail Definition
August 26, 2024 - A cocktail drink is any mixed drink with at least two cocktail ingredients and is usually alcohol-based. Cocktails typically have a base liquor, like vodka or gin (see also: vodka cocktails), and come with other flavored ingredients like fruit juice.
Agaveluz
agaveluz.com › is-cocktail-an-alcoholic-drink
Is Cocktail An Alcoholic Drink - Discover Top AgaveLuz Today
July 7, 2025 - While cocktails traditionally contain alcohol, the heart of cocktail culture remains rooted in the artistry of blending spirits with complementary ingredients to create a delightful drinking experience.
Jameson Irish Whiskey
jamesonwhiskey.com › en › our-world › mocktail-vs-cocktail
Mocktail Vs Cocktail: What's the Difference
Mocktails are made in the same fashion using juices, tonics, herbs and spices, with a key difference: there is no base alcohol. This can be interpreted in 2 ways. 1) Creating a mocktail that gets as close to the flavour and look of a well-known cocktail as it can. 2) Creating a completely new drink that has not been designed around the flavour of a base alcohol.
moltaqarestaurant
moltaqarestaurant.ca › home › what’s the difference between cocktails and mocktails?
What's the Difference Between Cocktails and Mocktails? - moltaqarestaurant
August 20, 2024 - At Moltaqa, we offer a range of mocktails that reflect our commitment to flavorful and imaginative beverages. ... Alcohol Content: The most obvious difference is that cocktails contain alcohol, while mocktails do not...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/cocktails › what does and doesn’t count as a cocktail?
r/cocktails on Reddit: What does and doesn’t count as a cocktail?
June 9, 2021 -
I heard that highballs are not considered cocktails, but the reasons I heard are unsatisfactor to say the least.
If it’s because of too few ingredients, then the martini, black russian and godfather are not cocktails either, because they are also only two ingredients
If it is because of too few alcoholic ingredients, then a daiquiri, mojito, Tommy’s matgarita and bee’s knees are not cocktails, because like highballs, because they only have one alcoholic ingredient.
If a mixed drink only needs one alcoholic ingredient and one additional ingredient, then there are some mixes that are even less of a cocktail e.g. shandy(beer and lemonade). What if I add citrus to wine? Is that a cocktail?
Top answer 1 of 5
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Just my two cents: To me, it's the intent. A cocktail is meant to create an enjoyable combination of flavors to make something new to enjoy. Whereas a mixed drink is liquor being disguised with a mixer to down play the taste of said spirit. Yeah, I know it's arguable, but hear me out. I believe there was a thread in either r/bartenders or r/cocktails where a user complained that not many bars knew how to make a Cuba Libre, and instead made, well, Rum&Coke. I'm going to show a couple of different variations that I mentioned in said thread, and I invite everyone to decide where to draw a line between mixed drink and a proper cocktail: Case no.1 2 oz White Rum 4 oz Coca Cola Build on a glass Case no.2 1½ oz Rum 3¾ oz Coca Cola 1 (lime/lemon) quarter Build on glass, squeeze the lime and drop it inside Case no.3 1½ oz Aged Rum 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters 3¾ oz Mexican Coca Cola 1 lime wedge Build on a chilled collins glass, press and discard the lime wedge, garnish with a lemon slice or peel. Case no.4 1¾ oz Rum blend ½ oz lemon juice 1⅓ oz cola syrup Top with Brut champagne Shake all ingredients minus the champagne. Then strain into a chilled double old fashioned glass, top with the Brut champagne and garnish with a lemon peel. Again, you decide what recipe is a cocktail through and through and which one should be cast into the dephts of the mixer hell. It's kind of an entrepenurial conclution, but the history of cocktail definition has always been murky, some people still argue on the etymology. I know this is still kind of a shady conclusion, after all, there are cocktails (like the Long Island Iced Tea) where you technically arent supposed to taste the alcohol. I find it kinda fits, given the already murky nature of said line, feel free to disagree. tl;dr A mixed drink is planned as a mixer, a cocktail is planned as a cocktail, IMO.
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just enjoy your drink...
East Park
eastpark.co.uk › home › cocktail vs mocktail | what's the difference?
Cocktail vs Mocktail | What's The Difference?
A cocktail is a drink that combines various ingredients and at least one of them is alcoholic like gin or rum to create a complete beverage.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/cocktails › define cocktail
r/cocktails on Reddit: Define cocktail
July 11, 2023 -
I have worked in the UK hospitality trade for a long time now and today is the first time I have had to really think about this question. Thank you to the fine owner of an incredible bar in my home town for the afternoon drink topic.
How do you all personally define what a cocktail is?
In the UK according to the licensing law a cocktail is - a mixed drink that contains 3 or more different ingredients. (This has always been used as the base of my personal definition.)
But according to common lore a cocktail is - a mixed alcoholic beverage that is not a list of the ingredients involved eg. Gin and tonic.
By UK law an Americano or classic martini would not be classified as a cocktail, but by common lore this is perfectly OK.
Just wandering what definitions you all work to around the world to classify something as a cocktail rather than a mixed drink?
Top answer 1 of 5
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I'm not a professional, but here's my understanding of it. A mixed drink is pretty much a two-ingredient drink that doesn't require preparation (shaking or stirring). A rum & coke or gin & tonic is a mixed drink. A cocktail is an American invention, and one of the earliest is the Old Fashioned, because it was an "old-fashioned cocktail." So originally it was spirit, sugar, bitters, stirred with ice. There are lots of competing definitions of the etymology of cocktail, but one of the more convincing is from Peychaud circa 1795, serving his brandy toddies in French egg-cups, and those cups were called cocktays in English. So I'd say a cocktail is everything more complicated than a mixed drink: usually at least three ingredients and needing some preparation like stirring in a mixing glass or shaking in a cocktail tin.
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They’re all cocktails. What you describe as a “mixed drink” is a category of cocktails known as the highball.
Quora
quora.com › Cocktails-do-not-taste-very-alcoholic-Is-this-intended-to-deceive-people
Cocktails do not taste very alcoholic. Is this intended to deceive people? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): Cocktails are recipes just like meals. Penna a la vodka doesn't taste like very bland plain unseasoned pasta for a reason and it's not to fool anyone. In all recipes the purpose of mixing different flavors and textures is to provide a product that is better than the sum of its pa...
Medium
jessafranceswrites.medium.com › alcohol-free-cocktails-vs-mocktails-whats-the-difference-45756a8c09c1
Alcohol-Free Cocktails Vs Mocktails — What’s the Difference? | by Jessa Frances | Medium
September 11, 2023 - So, not only are we cutting out alcohol (and the calories that come with), but we’re actually putting something into our bodies that helps us heal and thrive. Just as a chef crafts his meals, bartenders craft their cocktails, and with the right alternative spirits and mixers, they can make drinks that will pair well with your meals and elevate your experiences and never make you feel separate or disappointed by a mock-up bubble juice again.
Tempered Spirits
temperedspirits.com › advice-for-the-cocktail-novice-in-atlanta › what-is-a-cocktail
What is a Cocktail? – Tempered Spirits
April 6, 2013 - Nowadays, “cocktail” is a catch-all term for “mixed drinks,” no matter the ingredient or the preparation. To go with our broad-minded definition, I have a handy, all-encompassing formula: ... Pretty simple, huh?
Red & White
redandwhiteshops.com › home › cocktails vs. mocktails: what’s the difference?
Cocktails vs. Mocktails: What’s the Difference? - Red & White
May 22, 2025 - Yes, a mocktail is named such because it “mocks” the appearance of a cocktail without containing any alcohol. However, don’t underestimate a mocktail! It takes real skill and artistry to be able to fashion something that tastes as close to an alcoholic drink as possible, without actually using any alcohol! There are a few technicalities that make cocktails and mocktails their own unique drinks. When you’re out with friends or hosting a gathering, chances are you’ve heard the words cocktail and mocktail being tossed around.
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Dry Atlas
dryatlas.com › home › mocktails vs. cocktails
Mocktails vs. Cocktails - Dry Atlas
October 23, 2023 - So technically both alc and non-alc mixed drinks fit definitionally into “cocktails.” That said, a long tradition of using alcoholic spirits to make cocktails leads us to typically differentiate between alcoholic cocktails and non-alcoholic ...
Tasting Table
tastingtable.com › 1888855 › cocktail-vs-mocktail-explained
Cocktail Vs Mocktail: Is It Just The Booze? - Tasting Table
June 22, 2025 - As an alternative to the cocktail you might usually order or the wine you'd normally pour, it would serve a similar purpose, but, as per the "mock" in mocktails, what makes them different is that the intention is to recreate the taste and flavors of a traditional, alcoholic drink, rather than tasting like and being appreciated as an alternative beverage in its own right.
The Mixer
themixer.com › en-us › learn › why-is-it-called-a-cocktail
Why Is It Called a Cocktail? (Horses Included)
October 16, 2025 - It could be a fruit garnish, bitter, herbal liqueur, nuts or even coffee beans, to bring a striking sweet, bitter or zesty note to your final drink. A cocktail is a mixed drink with two or more cocktail ingredients that is usually alcohol-based.
Food & Wine
foodandwine.com › cocktails-spirits › bartenders › what-is-the-difference-between-a-cocktail-and-a-mixed-drink
What Is the Difference Between a Cocktail and a Mixed Drink?
May 25, 2022 - Nickle Morris, co-owner of Louisville's Expo, also thinks about the original "cocktail" when defining the term for himself. "It was taking a spirit and preparing it for enjoyment," he says. "I think it's about intention; if you don't put a lot of effort into the preparation, it's not a cocktail."